A Face Full of Hope
by WonderingWhileWandering
Summary: It's May 2 1998 and Neville is running through the castle, not caring about the Death Eaters trying to kill him. The Battle of Hogwarts is raging all around him, but he has to find Luna. He has to tell her something in case it's his last chance. /Rated T for some fantasy violence, but probably closer to K plus/


**A/N:** _This is just a little one-shot that I decided to write about what may have happened during the Battle of Hogwarts when Neville was looking for Luna to tell her that he loved her (like in the film, not the book sadly). It's my first Harry Potter fic, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

 **I do not own** _ **Harry Potter.**_

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 **A Face Full of Hope**

"Have you seen Luna? Has anyone seen Luna?" Neville took the stairs two at a time, trying not to swallow the clouds of dust as he ran, tripping over rubble and firing a curse at a masked Death Eater. " _Luna!"_

Whipping his head around to look down a corridor, he nearly crashed into Harry coming the other way. "Harry! You alright?"

"As can be expected Neville, you?"

"Yeah I'm fine, you haven't seen Luna have you? I've been looking everywhere," Neville panted, adrenaline surging through his body.

"I haven't seen her recently – not since we were all in the Great Hall. Why? Is something wrong?" Harry shifted impatiently, his mind racing as he tried to focus his attention away from his mission of finding the Diadem for a minute.

"No, at least I hope not, its just... I have to tell her something, you know, in case we don't all make it through this."

Harry swallowed, wishing he could have avoided putting his friends through this battle. "I'm sorry Neville, I really am, and I wish I could help you look for her, but I've got to..." he gestured down the corridor, unsure how to phrase what he needed to do, as he hadn't had a chance yet to explain everything about the Horcruxes to Neville.

"Yeah, sorry, you go do what you have to do," Neville made as if to start running again, then turned back to say, "and Harry, good luck."

"Thanks Neville. Watch yourself out there."

With a nod, Neville darted down another staircase and took off along a passage that lead out into the main courtyard of the castle. All around him were screams piercing through the night air, and the sky was lit up with curses crashing into the protective spells that were now melting away and exposing the school even more.

"Dammit Luna," he murmured breathlessly, "where are you?"

Through the haze of smoke and dust a dark shape loomed and almost too late he stupified a Death Eater and sent him crashing through a window into a ruined passage of the castle.

At the same moment there was a blast off to his right and the sound of what could only be a wall crumbling to the ground. Turning toward the sound, Neville glimpsed the unmistakeable purple jumper.

Without a second thought he ran toward her, choking on the dust of the collapsed stone wall. Luna stood with her head tilted, serenely regarding the unconscious cloaked body amongst the rubble as she lowered her wand.

"Luna!" At the sound of her name, she looked up just in time to see Neville crashing into her as he enveloped her in a hug. "You're alright!" he whispered, his voice muffled by her dust-coated blonde hair.

Luna gently wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hi Neville," she said in her soft voice, "I'm glad that you're alright too."

"I've been looking everywhere for you, where have you been?" He let go of her enough to hold her at arms length and scrutinize her features, noting the little cuts and scratches and the smudges of dirt across her forehead, eyes darting over her face, which as always was filled with a sense of hope despite the circumstances.

"I was helping Professor Flitwick and some of the other Ravenclaws cast protective charms around the castle, but the Death Eaters were attacking too fast and it wasn't working anymore." She looked up at him with her innocent, wise eyes, her tone making it sound as though she was simply talking about the latest charm lesson on an average school day.

Neville shook his head and resisted the urge to gently brush the dirt from her cheek and tuck the loose strands of hair behind her ears.

"Luna, I -" A crash nearby cut him off as he instinctively reached a protective hand out to pull Luna a little closer to him. Looking in the direction of the noise but not seeing anything, he brought his gaze back to the girl in front of him, whose eyes had not left his face, grimy and dusty and red.

Swallowing, he refocused on her face as he tried again. "Luna I had to find you, I had to tell you something just – just in case this," he gestured to the crumbling castle, the piles of rubble and stone, the bodies, "doesn't end well for us."

Luna blinked calmly and held his gaze evenly. "Yes Neville?" Then for the first time her attention wavered as her eyes darted from his face to somewhere behind him.

Noticing the sudden change in her grey eyes, Neville spun around, but not fast enough. A Death Eater had his wand raised and pointed at the two of them.

The moment happened in slow motion for Neville. As he raised his wand just too late, he was pushed to the side and heard someone shout _Expelliarmus,_ but not before a burst of light shot from the wand of the enemy, just narrowly missing him. A split second later the wand flew from the Death Eater's hand as the disarming spell met its mark.

It took a second for Neville to realise what had happened. His attention was still on the cloaked wizard who had just lost his wand when there was a dull thud at his feet.

Immediately there was a sick feeling in his stomach as he looked down at the body of the blonde girl in the purple jumper.

The crashes and screams and blasts all around him faded away and all he could hear was his own heartbeat and someone crying " _no"_ over and over. Sinking to the ground next to Luna, he grabbed her hand, his fingers wrapped around her wrist as he searched for a pulse, but his own blood was pumping so wildly through his body that it was hard to tell whether or not he was feeling the rush of her veins or his.

His wand was so tightly gripped in his one hand that it nearly snapped when he whipped his head around to see the Death Eater hunting for his wand in the ruins of the fallen wall. Raising it, he aimed at the masked wizard and yelled "stupefy" more viciously than anyone who knew him would have thought possible.

As the Death Eater flew backwards and crashed into a pillar, landing in a crumpled, unmoving heap, Neville dropped his wand with a sob and turned back to cradle Luna's pale face in his big hands.

"Luna, please," he found himself whispering over and over as he hunched over her body. Even like this her features were as serene as ever, her long lashes resting on her smudged cheeks which now had teardrops running down them as they fell from Neville's eyes and dropped onto her skin. Even like this her expression was somehow hopeful, though Neville felt that every ounce of hope had left him.

"Dammit Luna, I love you," Neville murmured as he ran his thumb gently over her forehead, wishing he could erase every scratch, cut, bruise and every bit of pain she had ever experienced in her life. He traced her face with his eyes, taking in every detail.

The way her pale eyebrows arched over her eyes, which even when closed he could see how big they were. The way her nose sloped perfectly and how her lips were just the right shade of pink. The way the strand of hair that had fallen across her face moved ever so slightly with each tiny, shallow breath.

His heart leaped as he suddenly noticed this. Quickly he held his breath as he was worried that it was his breathing that was moving the hair, but it continued to tremble slightly from the tiniest inhale and exhale of air by Luna's lips.

"Luna," he whispered with new vigour as he clutched her shoulders. Suddenly he heard Voldemort's voice as though it was in his head, just as they had all heard earlier. _You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured._

Ears ringing from the horrible sensation of the Dark Lord's voice, he wrapped his arms around Luna, holding her up against him, cradling her against his chest as he shifted so that he could pick her up.

Staggering to his feet with the blonde-haired girl in his arms, Neville made his way into the castle, praying to God, Merlin, and anyone else he could think of that Luna would somehow wake up.

Reaching the Great Hall, he looked around to see students of all ages and houses gathered in clumps. Some around bodies on the floor, some just sitting together in shock, and some talking quietly and furiously. Many were crying. All were dirty and exhausted.

Scanning the hall, Neville's eyes found Madam Pomfrey tending to a sixth-year who looked like he had been the victim of some sort of burning hex.

He made his way through the hall as quickly as he could, carrying Luna's limp body in his arms, strengthened by adrenaline.

As Madam Pomfrey turned away from the boy whose burns now seemed to be fading, Neville reached her and looked down imploringly at her round face which was streaked with dirt and spots of blood. "Madam Pomfrey, it's Luna, she's been hit with some sort of curse. I don't know what, but she is still alive, just barely..."

Lowering her body to the floor, he knelt next to Luna and took her hand, still speaking to the nurse but gazing at the blonde girl's face. "Please see if there's anything you can do... I can't – I can't lose her!"

Madam Pomfrey looked down sympathetically and knelt stiffly beside him. "I'll see what I can do love, but this is dark magic, and very dangerous. It might not be reversible."

Neville was silent as he clung to Luna's hand, watching her face as Madam Pomfrey slowly moved her wand back and forth above the girl's chest, a soft silver mist forming in the air and disappearing almost immediately. After nearly a minute he looked up despairingly as he saw no change in her condition. Madam Pomfrey looked troubled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know of anything else that might help, though it could take a little time." She stood up, "I'm sorry dear," she added as she moved off to a group huddled around another unmoving body. Neville looked at the strand of hair that he had placed back across Luna's face in order to watch her breathing. It was no longer moving.

With a sharp cry he grabbed her shoulder, eyes wide as he stared at the hair, praying that he had just missed a twitch, but it was still. "No, no, no, no..." the tears were rolling down his cheeks again and he gathered her back into his arms, holding her tightly against him as he cried into her cold neck.

"You can't be - be gone Luna, I – love you," he stammered between sobs. Clinging to her lifeless body, Neville cursed the Death Eater who had stolen the life of the girl who had stolen his heart. He wished now that he had used an unforgivable curse on the wizard rather than just stupefy. He wished he had told Luna how he felt sooner. He wished that he had been the one to save her. He wished that she could have gone on living her beautiful, unique life.

Suddenly there was a the sound of a sudden and massive intake of breath and he felt the expanse of air in her lungs as his arms were wrapped around her torso.

Neville nearly dropped her to the stone floor in shock as Luna's body lost its limpness and she leaned back, her wide grey eyes open and though slightly dazed, very much alive. Neville's own hazel eyes widened and before he could speak, Luna said softly, "I love you too Neville."

Holding her away from him, he scanned her face urgently. "You're okay? I mean you're alright aren't you, you're alive..." Luna nodded in response, reaching up with her finger to trace the path of his tears on his dusty cheek.

Neville's lips crashed onto hers, pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her, squeezing her up against him and holding her tightly.

She kissed him back eagerly, as though this was a completely new and interesting experience that she was excited to explore in great detail. He kissed her as though he had been the one to stop breathing and she was his only source of air.

When they finally broke apart, Neville drank in a deep breath and gently pushed her hair out of her face. He felt more of a rush of energy now than he had in the middle of battle with the Death Eaters.

Glancing around, he noticed the professors starting to sort students into groups and he realised that the hour that Voldemort had given them was nearly over and it was time to prepare to fight again. Suddenly Harry appeared from amongst the crowd and made his way straight toward him and Luna.

"Neville, Luna, are you alright?" he asked as he reached them. "Yeah, I think we are," Neville answered, standing to grasp Harry's shoulder to steady him as he looked slightly dazed. "Neville I can't find Ron or Hermione, but I have to tell someone else... just in case..."

Luna stood up and slipped her hand into Neville's. "What is it Harry?" she asked in her gentle voice.

"Voldemort's snake, it needs to be killed. If I don't – if I don't get around to it, will you..." he looked up at Neville, silently begging him not to ask questions.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you need Harry."

"Thanks Neville. Be careful. You too Luna." And with that, Harry left them standing in the Great Hall, hand in hand, watching him make his way through the throngs of witches and wizards preparing to once again defend their school, their home.

"We have something worth fighting for Neville," Luna said as she gazed out at the other students, then looked up at the tall boy next to her, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as she examined the worried crease between his eyebrows.

Looking down to see her face full of hope, he found himself smiling for the first time since the battle began. "Yeah, we do," he replied.

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 **A/N:** _I feel like I struggled a bit with getting the characters right, especially toward the end. I actually considered not having Luna wake up, and ending it with her death, but then I decided not to torture myself that way. Please let me know what you thought of this, what you think about how it ended and my initial idea for the ending, and whether you would like to see more of this type of thing in future or something different. Thanks for reading!_


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